


Live Again

by orphan_account



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: AU Where Nux Didn't Die, Gen, Mentions of PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-17
Updated: 2015-06-17
Packaged: 2018-04-04 21:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4154406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Max sees a familiar face on the road from the Citadel.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Live Again

It was hard to find a new car, one that he liked, one that he felt a connection to. You didn’t need to feel any sort of bond with your chosen vehicle, but it definitely helped. Until said vehicle was totaled, at least.

The Wasteland was harsh and cruel and the sun bore down on every living thing with a desire to burn. Max had burned- more times than most people, perhaps. But he was alive. Like anyone left on a planet once flooded with the vibrancy of green and blue, he was a survivor.

He blazed down the dirt and the sand, scorching metal and rubber against scorching earth. The last thing he expected to see was a person staggering through the heat. Even less, someone he knew.

Max came to a screeching halt, staring down at what might have been a ghost. Or a hallucination. He had a lot of those, some more real than others. It’d only be fair for him to start seeing Nux among all the other specters, as much as it would pain him. Then again, as pale and painted as Nux was, his presence would be more than fitting in the cold recesses of Max’s subconscious.

Nux noticed he’d stopped, and sped up a little, nearly tripping over his own feet in a hurry to get to the car.

Max watched as the former War Boy stopped beside the rusty vehicle, peering in with a look of disbelief and utter joy.

“Bloodbag!” Nux practically shouted in excitement, “Boy, am I glad to see you! Where ya off to? Going on a run for supplies?”

“Leaving the Citadel,” Max rasped honestly, still not so used to the sound of his own voice.

Nux furrowed his brow in confusion, “Why’s that? Did something happen?” His expression turned to worry. “The girls are alright, aren’t they? Capable- is she-?”

“Fine,” Max assured him hoarsely, “All of ‘em are safe.”

“Oh, good,” Nux sighed in relief, “Think you could take me back there? The walk’s been real long, and i’m dead tired.”

Max needed all the fuel he could get to go, well.. wherever it is he was going. Even he did not know. But he could not, in good conscience, turn down his.. friend? No, that didn’t sound right. He couldn’t even really call Furiosa a friend. He knew allies. He knew.. people. People he helped. People he maybe even cared about to a degree. But he could not know friends. In a world of death and destruction, that was not a luxury he could afford. 

“Get in,” Max finally said as he reached over to open the passenger door, Nux grinning even wider and climbing in. He turned the car around and headed back toward the Citadel.

“So, how come you’re leaving?” Nux questioned, leaning back in his seat and relaxing, “With Joe and the War Boys gone, wouldn’t you wanna stay?”

“Can’t stay,” Max murmured simply. It wasn’t home. Nothing would ever be home to Max. He knew that well now. His heart and soul belonged to the sands of the Wasteland, doomed to wander until he breathed his dying breath.

“Why not?” It was such an innocent question, like any others Nux asked. Despite his upbringing, his indoctrination by Immortan Joe and the War Boys, Nux himself was very innocent, and very naive. But he had a good heart, deep down under all the dirt.

Max didn’t bother with another reply, just shook his head.

Things went silent for awhile, save for the hum of the engine, until Nux tried another route of conversation.

“I can’t wait to see Capable again!” he spoke up happily, “You think she missed me?”

Max paused, trying to remember who Capable was. He knew faces better than he knew names. He couldn’t even remember Nux’s name right them. But that didn’t matter much. He never stayed with people for very long, so why bother? Names were (usually) meaningless. Nux didn’t even know Max’s name. He’d only told Furiosa when he feared she might not make it. But it was not a decision he regretted. If anyone deserved to know his name, it was her.

“The, um..” Max made a gesture, “redhead? Right?”

Nux nodded, “Mhm-hm! Pretty curls red as blood!”

“More than just blood that’s red, y’know,” Max added.

“Like what?” Nux was genuinely curious to know.

“Like.. roses. Roses are red.”

“What’re roses?”

“A flower. Very pretty. Got sharp thorns, though.” 

Nux’s face lit up at that, “Yes, perfect! A pretty flower with sharp thorns! Just like Capable!”

Max couldn’t help but let his lips quirk into a fraction of a smile, though there was some sadness to it. Nux had never seen a rose before. Max wondered if he ever would. 

“You don’t mind if I sleep a bit, do you?” Nux asked through a yawn, curling up in his seat and looking tiredly over at Max.

“Go right ahead.”

“Wake me when we get there?”

Max nodded. Nux smiled, and closed his eyes.

It was odd. Trust was so rare in the Wasteland. Furiosa had once taken the wheel while Max had slept. It was nice, until the nightmares came back. He wondered if Nux ever had nightmares. Max often had a lot on his mind, but he rarely ever voiced his thoughts. The less people knew about him, the better.

“You should stay.. when we get there..” Nux mumbled quietly, already half-asleep.

Max didn’t respond. But for a fleeting moment, he considered the request.


End file.
